Traditionally, electrical power service has been provided for the use of occupants of a building by running power lines from a central junction box throughout the walls of the building on each floor. The power lines terminate in wall sockets. The number and placement of the wall sockets has been designed for the anticipated use of each room, which is often specified by building codes. However, the need for access to electrical power has increased as more and more electrical appliances have been added to the retinue of electricity-demanding devices.
Furthermore, the need for electricity has spread beyond the four walls of homes, apartment buildings, and office buildings, to such requirements as exterior lighting, charging batteries of lawn care equipment, automobiles and for operating temporary and portable electrical devices and appliances at construction sites, outdoor events, patio restaurants, and for the electrical demands of travelers in automobiles, airplanes, trains, and buses. The type of electrical power needed has also expanded and includes alternating current and direct current as well as different levels of voltage.
In the out-of-doors, portable generators may be employed to generate electrical power for, say, construction sites, emergency roadside conditions, or outdoor events, but the delivery of that power relies on electrical cords laying on the ground or perhaps raised off the ground to be slung from one temporary post to the next.
There remains a need for new electrical power delivery systems with the flexibility to satisfy a growing range of needs by consumers of that power.